Charles and Camilla: Official Visits to France and Greece - May 7-11, 2018


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I’ve been wondering which EU country they will be visiting this year, besides their annual trip to Ireland.
 
Nico said:
Now that's interesting. The British royals didn't visit Greece in an official capacity since the 60's if i'm not mistaken (and Greece is one of the rare countries not visited by the Queen).
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Will Prince Charles visit any of his Greek royal relatives?
 
CyrilVladisla said:
Will Prince Charles visit any of his Greek royal relatives?
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It would be very very nice to see Constatine and Anne-Marie. But the king is not well, or at least can't walk without difficulties.
 
A state visit is between heads of state and Charles isn’t. So it’ll be just a visit.
 
Given that the Queen has effectively retired from doing overseas visits if Charles isn't able to do 'State Visits' then Britain won't be doing any State Visits to other countries for the foreseeable future - possibly a decade or more. Diplomatically that is not a good look - and a consequence of a very old monarch who isn't able to fulfill all her duties (which include outgoing State Visits).

There have been occasions in the past where there have been State Dinners/Banquets for royals on overseas visits not undertaken by the monarch.
 
Lumutqueen said:
A state visit is between heads of state and Charles isn’t. So it’ll be just a visit.
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Not necessarily - they can be between a Head of State and the official representative of the Head of State - as happens when there are incoming State Visits to Australia. Our Head of State lives 10,000 miles away but we still have State Visits with the Queen's Representative, the GG, hosting the event in her absence.
 
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Now that's a nice surprise !
Not a single event is scheduled in Paris though (nor a meeting with President Macron).
 
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Nico said:
Now that's a nice surprise !
No a single event is scheduled in Paris though (nor a meeting with President Macron).
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Unlike the previous visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. why ?
 
And unlike the previous visit of Charles and Camilla back in 2008 ...
Looks like a good willing tour rather than an official one, at least in France. The Greek part is more in line with the offcial visit as we know it...
It's like the Foreign office doeSn't know what to do with them. So two days in the French countryside is a lesser evil.
 
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Nico said:
And unlike the previous visit of Charles and Camilla back in 2008 ...
Looks like a good willing tour rather than an official one, at least in France. The Greek part is more in line with the offcial visit as we know it...
It's like the Foreign office doen't know what to do with them. So two days in the French countryside is a lesser evil.
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Then why ask Charles and Camilla to go?

This is about areas of joint working that will continue after we have left the EU.

Not every visit o/seas includes meeting Head of State or visiting the capital. The visit to INTERPOL definitely caught my eye.

I like the fact that they are going to different places.
 
With the foreign office keeping the senior royals busy and going here and there for different reasons, it is physical proof that even though the Queen has stopped doing foreign visits and that the UK is going through Brexit and leaving the EU, its still business as usual with communication and interest in the world around them outside of the UK and the Commonwealth.

Basically, I see it as an extension of when the Queen says "I need to be seen to be believed." With the royal house of Windsor basically in a transitional phase between the reign of Elizabeth II and Charles III, the wheels of the "Firm" are not slowing down or in a waiting stage but continuing like clockwork.

At least that's how I see it. :D
 
cepe said:
Then why ask Charles and Camilla to go?

This is about areas of joint working that will continue after we have left the EU.

Not every visit o/seas includes meeting Head of State or visiting the capital. The visit to INTERPOL definitely caught my eye.

I like the fact that they are going to different places.
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Mmmm you're probably right. It's just a bit unusual, i presume, compared to the previous visits...
We do like a good'ol royal visit in Paris ...
 
Great news (and how do those posters who say that William and Kate are the ones being sent on the 'Brexit' tours ignoring the fact that Charles and Camilla have visited more such countries deal with the fact that it is Charles and Camilla going to France - and Greece).

European countries visited since Brexit:

Romania - Charles
Austria - Charles and Camilla
Italy - Charles and Camilla
Republic of Ireland - Charles and Camilla (in many ways the most important due to the EU/UK border issue)

Denmark - Harry

Germany - William and Kate
Poland - William and Kate
Sweden - William and Kate
Norway - William and Kate

Now

France - Charles and Camilla
Greece - Charles and Camilla

Seems to me that the F&C Office are trusting a lot of the Brexit tours to the heir apparent and his wife - more than the younger royals anyway.

I don't see this as a competition by the way but as a comment back to those posters who claimed earlier this year - in other threads - that William, Kate and Harry were the ones be entrusted with the 'Brexit' visits to EU countries.
 
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Charles will therefore be doing two visits to France within about 2 weeks as he is going (presumably as the future King of Australia) to Villers Bretonneux on April 25th - for the 100th anniversary of the work of the Aussies there in halting the German offensive in 1918. We are also supposed to be opening the new museum to the Aussie's efforts on the Western Front.

It is one of those interesting dates in Australian history where we focus on one event but have two events to commemorate and VB is the where the annual commemoration takes place in Europe on ANZAC Day but many Aussies don't even know why. VB is the only battle where all five Aussie divisions fought in Europe. Every other battle (or sub-battle) saw one or more divisions but not all five. It is a place that is quite a special place to Aussies as well - the local school, for instance was rebuilt with money raised by Victorian school children and so is called the Victoria school and the kids there are taught to 'remember les Australiens'.

So Charles will be going to that event on the 25th April and then back again a two weeks later for another few days.

https://royalcircular.com/2018/04/06/prince-charles-to-attend-anzac-day-event-in-france/

For those who don't know Sir John Monarch was the commander of the Aussies on the Western Front in 1918, planned the Battle of Hamel which was the first truly co-ordinated attack with tanks, planes, artillery and infantry (he was disappointed in the battle as he set the objective of taking Hamel in 90 minutes and it took them 95 ... a truly successful battle and set the approach for the rest of the war). George V knighted him but he didn't go to BP for the accolade. George V honoured even more because he went to him and knighted him in front of many assembled Aussie troops.

There are now calls for Monash to be promoted, posthumously, to the rank of Field Marshal so that he will 'outrank' Charles who will be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal of the Australian Army when he becomes King. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/na...r/news-story/4877c1f9d8ba8ec9aaa2a58ac9ad6763

He is, of course, already a Field Marshal in the British Army so the argument falls flat anyway as his rank from Britain would be recognised here so he would still 'outrank' any posthumous rank (and being Commander-in-Chief would take precedence over any other rank anyway).
 
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William and Catherine went to France only a few days before the Brexit was officially initiated so it was certainly part of the Brexit strategy. So, I would say that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are comparably used in promoting Britain in Europe.

Harry is not really part of the strategy; they only called upon him once.
 
That visit was to go to the Rugby and they added on a few extra activities - it wasn't part of the Brexit strategy anymore than Anne's visits to France or Italy for rugby matches have been part of the Brexit strategy and she has made visits to both countries for rugby since Brexit was announced.
 
It isn't 'in the EU' but is in a close relationship with them as a member of the European Economic Area.

The main issue post-Brexit is trade so Norway was included as a to be visited country due to membership of the EEA and the European Free Trade Association.
 
Iluvbertie said:
That visit was to go to the Rugby and they added on a few extra activities - it wasn't part of the Brexit strategy anymore than Anne's visits to France or Italy for rugby matches have been part of the Brexit strategy and she has made visits to both countries for rugby since Brexit was announced.
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We all have royals we like more than others, but I am a little surprised to see the official trip of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to France last year being described as "to go to the Rugby and they added on a few extra activities". Add up the number of engagements and the time spent on "a few extra activities" versus that spent at the rugby on that trip and perhaps you might change your view (or perhaps not, if you don't want facts getting in the way of an espoused view!)
 
muriel said:
We all have royals we like more than others, but I am a little surprised to see the official trip of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to France last year being described as "to go to the Rugby and they added on a few extra activities". Add up the number of engagements and the time spent on "a few extra activities" versus that spent at the rugby on that trip and perhaps you might change your view (or perhaps not, if you don't want facts getting in the way of an espoused view!)
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And one of the "few extra activities"wa a meeting at the Elysée Palace with President Hollande, not less...
 
a meeting at the Elysée Palace with President Hollande, not less...
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Is it ANY wonder they're in no hurry to rush back to Paris ??
 
wyevale said:
Is it ANY wonder they're in no hurry to rush back to Paris ??
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Maybe ... but as there is a new President in town, would have been nice to see a fist contact with the BRF ( a French State visit to the UK being expected in one or two years).
 
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Aren't they wonderful at this sort of thing? HM is also wonderful at State visits, but she tends to keep her hands firmly clasped, and I don't think she has ever been photographed painting a duck!
Charles and Camilla really do things their own way, and with such good humour and 'joie de vivre'
 
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